The Clash's Paul Simonon Arrested On Undercover Greenpeace Mission

By Lisa Kalner Williams | November 15, 2011

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Greenpeace has just revealed that the bassist of the legendary rock band “The Clash”, Paul Simonon, was among 18 activists arrested this June off the coast of Greenland. This arrest went unnoticed for months because Simonon was incognito on the MV Esperanza and in the slammer — as an assistant chef.

The famed musician joined Greenpeace in the Arctic to demand the company Cairn Energy produce their oil spill response plan, which they had so far kept mum. (Oil spills in freezing Arctic waters make something like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico seem like a laundry stain.)

In a video produced by Greenpeace (seen below), Simonon ran through the action that landed he and his comrades in jail. “We stormed the oil rig,” Simonon said. “They said if you don’t get off … we’re going to phone the authorities in Greenland and say you’ve hijacked the oil rig, and the police will come and arrest you. And that’s pretty much what happened.”